1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to machines for laying down and taking up ground covers using reels and particularly to a machine that lays down a ground cover on a road, secures the cover to the road, and takes up the cover for reuse.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous machines have been described which use reel mechanisms to lay down covers on the ground and take them up. Some of these have been for covering baseball fields, football fields, new-laid concrete, winter recreation surfaces, and land fills. Some machines have been described for laying down or taking up plastic piping or grass turf. In those machines, the cover reels cannot raise or lower the cover reel, do not operate with the cover reel on the ground, or do not have a means of pressing the cover reel on the ground. In addition, they may have no means to secure the cover on the ground. Some of these machines may have a high degree of mechanical complexity or require a built-in prime mover.
There exists a need for a practical cover reel assembly that can apply and fasten a cover to a road construction site quickly to protect it from weather and other environmental conditions, and retrieve the cover for reuse. The cover needs to be aligned accurately on the road by uniformly pressing the cover onto the road as the cover is unwound from a reel. The present invention provides a novel, practical means for meeting these needs.